


night butterfly view

by MenaceFH (FrozenHeartbeat)



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: A little, Angst, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Bullying, Implied Past Abuse, Skipping Meals, Sorcerer AU, Twin Logince, and, and maybe a bit ooc..., do not skip your meal kids, do tell if there are other tags I should put, human modern fantasy au, i think, just some brother taking care of his brother hah, mention of meal neglect, they are around 14 - 15 y/o here, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 13:43:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16641258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrozenHeartbeat/pseuds/MenaceFH
Summary: The world can be scary, indeed. Like the dark night where you have no idea what is out there. Once a fear is planted, it is difficult to let go. But not everything is terrible.orWhen Roman suddenly disappears during a class trip in the field, it's up to Logan to find his brother before curfew.





	night butterfly view

**Author's Note:**

> This has been in my WIP for months, might as well finish it now.

“Roman!” Logan called for who knows how many times. He ran up another hill, hoping to get another better view. He viewed the sky, noting how bright the orange colors are. How the dark blue is overtaking the sky in every passing second. The thick clouds were blending in with the color of the sky. Which reminded him; he needs to find his twin as soon as possible.

He looked at the valley from the top of the hill, squinting at every possible place Roman could be. The arrangement of the trees was more nearby with each other, possible for him to blink-&-miss it. Feeling a little disappointed, Logan continued walking, down the hill to the row of trees and bushes, skipping a few steps.

They were out for outside class activity with the rest of the class, both of them separated doing their own project. Logan had been ill at ease throughout all evening but decided to push the uneasy feeling to continue his task. It’s only when the class had ended and about to return to the building that he realized Roman’s absent. Not to mention how that one particular group insisted they leave Roman behind. Logan could tell something was off.

And now here he was, walking further away from the school’s building in search for his missing brother.

He walked near the row of wild berry bushes, keeping his eyes peeled. Until finally, he spotted a small figure curled up near a red wild berry bush. Relief rushed into his tense body. But not too relief. He stopped his track, trying to read the situation.

Roman was curled up, knees under his head and arms around his legs and, _is that?_

Logan breathed in, approaching the other boy slowly. “Roman?” he called softly, kneeling in front of the other. From up close, he noticed Roman was trembling slightly, he could have missed it. He put a hand onto Roman’s left shoe, at the very tip and called out softly again.

Roman must have finally noticed the presence other than himself and slowly lifting his head. His face was masked with different emotions at once, several more added once he realized the figure kneeling in front of him. He cringed at Logan’s frowned face, sniffling and clearing his throat to appeared presentable.

“Um, hey-” Roman internally cursed himself for the hoarse voice that escaped his mouth. “H-How did you find me?”

As much as Logan wanted to raise his voice for making him worried since evening, he decided now is not the time. He did his best to remain calm, voice low and comforting. “You’ll be surprised by how far I’ve walked by now.” He half-joked. “That is, if you add the time I had to return to a certain checkpoint to try a different route.” He added, almost monotonous.

Roman blinked, guilt filling up his empty stomach upon hearing that.

Logan scooted closer, eyeing the small bruises on Roman’s thin arms. ‘Roman needs to eat more,’ his mind yelled, in which he silent it immediately. Bad habits are hard to break; even Logan himself neglect meals sometimes.

“May I?” Despite the cautious tone his brother emitted, Roman still can't help but flinch. He hesitated, moving his injured arm for Logan to inspect.

Logan used both of his hands; one to hold the arm gently while the other ghosted above the wounds. “These… you didn't-”

“I didn’t do anything!” Roman barked, much to his own dismay.

“Well, based on the colors, luckily it’s nothing serious.” Logan formed a small smile, looking up to meet Roman's teary eyes. “But I still have to patch these up, okay?”

Roman didn’t say anything. Not that he needs to, Logan would do it anyway. With one hand, Logan conjured a white cloth and draped it on his lap. Thankfully he doesn’t have to conjure any liquid, and instead plucked a few berries behind Roman. Judging from the shape, color, and size of the berries, Logan could tell these can be used to soothe wounds. He wrapped a handful of berries in the cloth and squeezed the liquid out. Using the now damp cloth, he gently dabbed it onto the wounds on Roman’s arms.

Roman hissed to hide his pain, his whole body stiffened despite the light pressure Logan applied. Once the wound was all cleaned up, Logan pulled out a box of band-aid from his pocket, to his brother’s surprised.

“Virgil’s,” Logan said short as he tore one out of its wrapper. “He said Patton is, well, clumsy with where he’s walking. He asked me to keep a box just in case he’s not around to help Patton.”

Roman nodded subtly, not saying another word and letting the polka dotted band-aid cover his injuries. Once that’s done, Logan picked up the litter and stuffed it in his pocket along with the box, slowly standing up. “Can you stand?” He asked, holding a hand out for Roman to take.

“Of course I can!” Roman huffed. He forced himself up to prove a point, only to let out a yelp before falling back to the ground backward. He pulled his legs up to his chest, a whimper escaped his lips.

Logan knelt down again and held the end of Roman’s pants. He lifted it up to Roman’s knees, surprised to see the lower leg scrapped. There was no blood, which is a relief.

“I… kinda fell, tumbling… sort of…” Roman said in defeat, refused to finish his sentence. His eyes wander everywhere to avoid Logan's.

Logan tsked, _‘these look more than just falling down, Ro...’_ Band-aid can’t help with these, so he turned around, still kneeling, with his back facing Roman.

Roman gave him a questioning look. “What are you-?”

“Get on me.”

“What?!”

“I’m offering you a piggyback ride.” Logan simply said. “I cannot let you walk on injured legs. It’s going to be a long way back and I’m sure you’ll be uncomfortable limping.” That wound would have to wait till they return to their room.

Roman stared at the back, worrying his lower lip. After a minute of hesitation, he slowly crawled and climbed Logan’s back. He wrapped his arms around Logan's neck while Logan placed his hands under Roman's knee. Once secured, Logan slowly stood up with the additional weight on his back. He almost fell backward, but quick to stabilize himself.

“Are you sure you can do this?” Roman asked, both worry and guilt.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. You’re not heavy. I just haven’t done this since we’re 10.” Logan quickly assured, doing small adjustment with his hand placement.

Once Logan was used to the weight, and confident his twin was secured on his back, he started walking, making their way back to the dormitory. He walked at a normal pace. One step at a time. Not too fast. Not too slow. He stopped whenever he felt Roman slipping down, adjusting by hoisting him up and continued the journey.

The moon and stars shone dimly in the sky due to the thick clouds. It usually rains after midnight, which is best they return to their room before midnight. But the limited light made it hard for Logan to see where’s he’s going. He can’t conjure any light since he used up most of his energy just now – and skipping meal, which makes it worse. Roman is already injured. So, using his remaining energy to carry his twin should be more important, right?

Roman was quiet the whole time. No humming, no small chatting, no nothing. There were times he’ll view the stars above him. And there are times he’ll slump onto Logan, hiding his face behind Logan’s neck and stayed still. He curled in more when a gentle breeze brushed his bare arms, shivering slightly.

A few minutes later, Logan decided to break the silence. Not that he minds the silence, but this was getting unbearable. “Are you not going to say anything?” He asked, gentle. Roman replied by shaking his head weakly against his neck. Logan sighed. “Well, just letting you know that I’m listening.” He mumbled, “It’s just the two of us out here.”

Silence fell back afterward. The only sound audible was the owls hooting on nearby trees and the crickets chirping in the bushes. The night breeze caused nearby leaves to rustle. Logan just hoped their presence won’t attract any creature or beast. Oh, how their father would tell tales on how the beast prey on children who wanders in the night. It was irritating enough, Logan quickly shook that memory off his mind.

“H-Hey Lo?”

Logan hummed, turning his head slightly to peek at Roman. He raised an eyebrow, a silent permission for Roman to go on.

“Well… I- well…” Roman hesitated. He kept his eyes on his hand, flickering about. “I- never mind.” He drooped.

Logan sighed, focusing back on the dark path ahead of them. “Like I said, I’m all ears.”

“No- I know that! It’s just-” Roman sighed, “I just… can’t expect much from now on, huh?” he sounded defeated, now hiding his face in Logan’s hair.

“What do you mean?”

Roman groaned before lifting his head, placing his chin on the very top. “It’s just– I thought that… once we’re out of that house and enroll here, in this school, things will change. Everyone will know we’re twins, but none will know about our family and their history. _Our history…_ ” the last sentence came as a whisper. “Everyone will treat us equally, fair and square. Not… am I really an easy target-”

“Falsehood.” Logan interrupted, gaining the other’s attention. “Roman, I understand your fear back when we still live with father. I have the same fear, I admit. And I’m sorry you experienced worst.” He paused, “I also felt terrible that you received the same treatment here by the adults and our peers. But please–” _breathed_ , “Please remember that you are strong. Keep fighting, and by fighting I didn’t physically but emotionally. I believe you can do it. Besides, there are other people in this world. Different people, different beliefs, everyone is different.”

“But… they still have the same mentality, right…” Roman sounded doubtful.

“Then how would you describe Patton and Virgil?” Logan asked about their two roommates.

“They’re different. Patton is sweet and kind, and Virgil is, well Virgil's weird, but he’s nice.”

“And how about Sorceress Barbara?” Their favorite teacher.

“She’s awesome and a really cool teacher!”

“Doesn’t that prove that there are still nice people in the world?”

Roman fell silence. True, they are nice people, and probably the first few that are nice to both of them equally without bothering their family background. But, “I… don’t…” a sharp inhale came from Roman which caused Logan to instantly stop. It didn’t sound sad nor angry. More to… _surprised_?

“What?”

“Stay still.” Roman’s words only made Logan more curious.

“Why?”

“There’s a butterfly on your hair,” Roman whispered.

Logan blinked before finally relaxing, chuckling lightly. “What type of butterfly?” Logan asked.

Roman observed the insect in front of him, studying the wings to identify its species. The butterfly is pure white in color, and its glowing- well, more like glittering.

“It could either be a moon butterfly, or a light butterfly. It’s glowing…” He guessed, hovering his hand near the butterfly. Before he could do anything, the butterfly dodged Roman’s hand and fluttered away.

The glowing insect came into Logan's field of view, in which he identified it right away. “Light butterfly; since it’s pure white.”

“Right. Moon butterflies have black shade underneath.” Roman remembered. He snuggled closer, eyes not leaving the butterfly. In fact, both of them kept their eyes on it.

The butterfly fluttered towards the nearby meadow. Its glowing wings illuminated every flower it passed for a split second before dimming back into the dark. After several flowers, it eventually landed on the one near the middle of the field.

It flapped its wings twice and fluttered away again, this time, bringing out more butterflies that hid in the meadow, lighting up the scene. The once dark meadow somehow seems brighter with the different types of butterflies fluttering around. The different wings shimmered differently under the moonlight, making it livelier and breathtaking.

“Woah!” Roman straightened himself to get a better view. The sudden movement surprised Logan, but he was quick to stay put.

“So… this is their night routine…” Logan let out a breath he didn’t even realize he’s been holding. Too amazed by the sight.

“Night routine?”

“I’ve read somewhere in a book, that night type butterflies often have a routine once the stars and moon are out. Different place, different routine.” Logan explained. “From what we just witnessed, the light butterfly is in charged on letting the other butterflies know it’s nighttime.” He goes on. “Well, maybe at a particular time of the night.”

None of them had left their eyes off the scene in front of them, too awed by its beauty. A few butterflies even fluttered towards them, fluttering around them in circles for a few seconds and then returning back to their swarm.

“Whatever it is, this is… way much better than the one back home…” Roman whispered, lowering himself a bit.

Logan looked up to his twin, a sense of relief flooded in him seeing that smile on his face. “Still think there’s no nice thing out in this massive universe?” Logan queried, tapping Roman’s calf slightly.

Roman shrugged, hummed weakly as he snuggled into the crook of Logan's neck. “I don’t… know…” he yawned, his eyelids were getting heavy by every passing second.

Logan smiled softly. “Time for us to leave.” He adjusted Roman one more time before continuing their walk back to their dorm, slowly leaving the butterfly field. To their surprise, the butterfly from earlier decided to tag along, giving a faint glow on the dim path.

Roman fell asleep a few minutes later. His soft snores alerted Logan to be cautious so that Roman won’t slip off. Luckily the butterfly led him to a shorter, easier path; no need to climb up or down any hill or go through dangerous paths that would risk any harm.

Thanks to the butterfly, they arrived safely to the school dormitory before midnight. Biding the butterfly goodbye, Logan made his way to the only door opened, guarded by their favorite teacher.

He would explain to sorceress Barbara where he found Roman. And maybe he would tell her something about his twin’s trouble while keeping their earlier conversation private. Logan would walk to their room afterwards, feeling his exhaustion finally catching up to him. And if their roommates were still awake due to worrying over their safety, maybe he would ask them to help him move the sleeping boy to his bed. He would clean up the injury on Roman’s legs, and Patton would probably clean off any dirt while Virgil sat on the corner of the bed with a bowl filled with water on his lap. Once they’re done, Logan would thank both of them. They would go to their bed, switched off the night light and finally go to sleep.

But for now, Roman is safe, and they both are going to be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> I should... probably write more for my sorcerer au...
> 
> Shout at me over Tumblr!


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